Past the Eleventh Hour
by ShitanePaiko
Summary: Saix arrives a second too late and loses someone very important to him. How does he react? Warning: Spoilers for KH2. Saix/Axel


_**WARNING: MUCH SPOILERS FOR KH2! **_

_Okay...now that I got that warning over with, time to move on to the actual summary. Do NOT read the summary until you read the warning cus I don't want people getting annoyed at me for spoiling stuff...the only exception to this is my editor cus its my editor...XD_

_Summary(read warning first): In Axel's last moments, what if Saix arrives? The two of them once loved each other but slowly grew more and more distant. So how does Saix react to the loss of him? What will he do? AkuSai._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts nor the characters nor anything except for maybe the idea…_

_Warning number 2: Tissues might be needed._

_And also thanks to Byaku for editing this! XD_

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A second. That is all it takes for a choice to be made, a life to be changed. A mere second can end a life or possibly save one. Among those millions of seconds within one's life, how can such a small second be so important? After all, a second is such a short time. It takes only a moment, a blink of an eye, for one to go by. But once that miniscule second goes by, there is absolutely no going back. Going back is never an option, only to keep moving forward on a linear plane of time or stop all at once. A second. One tiny one is of great importance.

A second too late. He will wonder later if things could have been different had he been a second earlier. Can he have possibly helped or even stop that stupid bastard? Or will fate have kept its course and he will still have been able to cease anything from happening? Life is indeed a mysterious force.

It takes him a second to open a corridor of darkness. His hand pauses there for a few more seconds, hesitating as his mind screams at him to move already. Yet he still hesitates. Later on he will continued to reflect on that moment. Why did he hesitate? He will never be able to clearly articulate why he did such a foolish thing.

With his blue hair streaming behind him like a silky curtain of sky, the scarred man steps through the portal. The familiar tendrons of darkness creep up his body, wrapping around him like vines. The darkness is cold. Not an icy cold but instead an forbidding cold, one that cuts through a heart and leaves it void and empty. Gratefully, their long black cloaks and their nonexistent hearts prevent any damage to be taken.

A hollow feeling. So cold and distant. It takes only a second for all these thoughts to jumble around his head in half thought out phrases and ideas. But they soon leave his mind as a blast of heat flashes all around him within the corridor, lighting the swirling colours around them. How strange for it to be so colourful in such a moment.

He covers his eyes, wincing as the flash of brightness blinds him momentarily. A wave of dread crawls around in his stomach as he waits for the light to fade away. No. What was he thinking? Dread? Impossible. They didn't have hearts. He is Saix, the Nobody, not Isa the Somebody. This is only a figment of his memory, reminding him how it feels to dread, right?

His golden eyes snap open to stare at the brown haired boy, the duck, and the dog blocking the figure of the person he had come for. The three people haven't noticed Saix yet, standing behind them several meters away.

The boy looks around in shock, stunned by the huge blast of fire that had completely taken out all the dusks in the now vacant area. The boy, Sora, searches for the same thing that Saix wants to see. Sora spots him first, dashing off immediately as he does.

"Axel…" Saix murmurs softly to himself as he pulls his hood over his head. He takes a step forward, knowing that Sora will reach Axel first.

The dark figure of a Nobody with a shock of red hair lies still on the seemingly empty floor. Small wisps of darkness, or possibly smoke, drifts out from Axel. Saix's breath hitches, knowing that it's not smoke even though he wishes for it to be. He attempts to reassure himself, lying to his mind that it is nothing more than just smoke from the huge fire attack just now.

Sora kneels down besides Axel's body. "You're...fading away…" he gasps, loud enough for Saix's ears to hear.

No point denying it now. It's not smoke. Axel is dying...fading away back to true nonexistence.

"No…" Saix says, alerting the three others of his presence. He doesn't care. He can't. Taking a few more steps forward while holding his gaze on Axel, he continues speaking. "Axel!"

The duck and dog leap in front of his path, halting his movements.

"A Nobody!" the duck squeaks out. "We won't let you get to Sora! Right, Goofy?"

Goofy nods. "Yeah!"

Scowling, Saix forces his way past them, ignoring their angry shouts of protest. "I don't have time to deal with you two. And I don't want anything with Sora right now either. I'm not here for a fight."

Sora gazes up at Saix with a confused but wary look. "Not here for a fight? Then what are you here for?" He follows the blue haired mans gaze to Axel. "What are you going to do with him!? He's already hurt!"

"Shut up!" Saix snarls, unable to bottle up his outburst. Why did they automatically assume he is here to do something unpleasant? "I'm not here to hurt him!"

"Then-"

"Hey, Saix." Axel laughs, interrupting Sora and preventing any further arguing. Saix cringes at how weak sounding Axel's voice sounds now. "I guess this is what happens when you put your whole being into an attack. You know what I mean? Not that Nobodies actually have beings...right?"

"Stop, Axel! You're fading and this is no time to be joking now." Saix growls as he kneels down next to Sora. "Stupid bastard...you're a fucking idiot."

Axel laughs again as he gazes at the wisps of darkness. "You've told me that lots of times before...Why're ya here anyways? I...well...didn't think you'll come." Axel trails off, a hint of longing in his bright green eyes.

"Wait...Saix?" Sora suddenly gasps as the name clicks in his mind. "You're the one who kidnapped Kairi! Where is she!?"

Saix sends Sora a dark look. "Not now! We can deal with that later. I knew something bad was going to happened...I just knew it...I guess I'm called the Lunar Diviner for a reason..." He stares back at Axel. "We're getting you back to the castle and getting you fixed up."

"Too late for that." Axel sighs with a shake of his head.

"No. It's not too late. Xemnas...he must know something. We can save you. Or maybe...maybe Vexen...no...stupid me, he's dead. Goddamnit why did you kill Vexen, Axel? He's smart being a scientist and all. He probably knew a way to fix you up. But he's gone...and Xemnas is smart too. Come on, let's get you back." By now, Saix is practically ranting, his eyes wide with madness and panic. "You can't be fading away."

Axel meets Saix's worried gaze with his own calm one. "Hey, don't you see this? I'm fading...what do you think this is...smoke?" Saix shrugs hopefully. "Stop denying it. Don't run away from reality, got it memorized?"

Saix shakes his head angrily, feeling as if his heart is being torn into two as he slams his fist against his thigh. How ironic. They didn't have hearts that could break into two. "No. I don't 'got it memorized'. You are not dying here! Our plan...everything. I know I'm being selfish but I don't want you to fade away."

As if he hadn't heard Saix's words, Axel reaches up and pushes Saix's hood off, letting the bright blue hair drift out of the confinements of the hood and out for him to see. "I've always loved your hair. It's so beautiful and soft. And they way you blush every time I mention it...I love that too."

And as if to prove Axel's point, Saix blushes softly as he pulls away slightly. "Axel. That's not the point here. We need to get you ba-"

"Can we not make my last moments here all sad and everything? That kinda ruins the point of a happy ending..." Axel interrupts with a crooked grin.

"This is not your-"

"I love you, Saix."

"This is not the time for this!"

"I'll just pretend that you replied with 'I love you too, Axel'."

"Axel!"

Axel grins up weakly. "Don't forget me, kay?"

Saix can only glare at Axel, wishing to rage and tear that red haired Nobody into tiny shreds of flesh and blood, but he knows very well that he will never be able to bring himself to harm his lover. "How can I ever forget you…" he murmurs quietly to himself. From first ice cream they had together as Isa and Lea to their nights together as Nobodies, he remembers it all. However, through all the missions and Kingdom Heart driven goals, he had pushed all those memories away, shutting them out of his mind and neglecting his love. And now he regrets it all. Loud breaths of half rage and half despair echo through the emptiness as Saix silently crumples from within. His shoulders slump and he rests his forehead against Axel's chest, not knowing what to do or say anymore.

Sora breaks the silence. "Axel, what were you trying to do?"

Axel glances at Saix briefly before looking at Sora. "I wanted to see Roxas…" At the name, Saix tenses up, burning jealousy that shouldn't exist racing through his veins. "He...was the only one I liked….He made me feel like I had a heart."

"I'm sorry…" Saix mutters as he clenches his fists. "I ignored you. I turned away from you and began to forget our plans that I had so desperately wished to accomplish. That's why you turned to Roxas...right?"

Axel shrugs slightly. "Well...I guess. But hey, you still came back for me now. And you still love me too, right? So all's forgiven...and I'm sorry too...I guess I did the same thing you did too...and you just turned to Xemnas and Kingdom Hearts like how I turned to Roxas."

Saix watches numbly as Axel raises his thin arms and opens a portal. Earlier, he would have stopped that idiot from wasting his energy, but now he had faded way too much to be saved. That he would not deny.

"Kairi's in the castle dungeons. Now go."

Sora stands up hesitantly, looking back and forth between the two Nobodies and the portal.

Saix watches Axel fade even more. He clutches onto the redhaired man's arm, feeling it slowly fade away into wisps of darkness. Axel nudges him with his remaining energy, causing him to look up into those green eyes.

"Hey, Saix. Are you just gonna sit there or are you gonna give me a goodbye kiss?"

"Still joking to the very end...that is so like you Axel…"

"Now c'mon. Don't got all day…"

Sighing, Saix brings his face up and presses a soft kiss to Axel's lips.

Axel grins as he closes his eyes. "Goodbye. I love ya. Got it memorized?"

And with that, the last flickers of darkness take Axel's body away along with that still smiling face. Saix reaches out to grab those last wisps of darkness, only for them to slip through his fingers and dissipate into nothingness. Only a small flame is left where Axel once lay, disappearing within a quick second.

"Leaving before I can say goodbye...you were always like that…I love you too...Axel...Lea..."

Nobodies don't have feelings. If that is true, then what is this salty liquid running down his face? What is this overwhelming sensation in his chest and throat that threatens to cut through his very soul. A choked sob that is unable to be contained escapes from his mouth as he covers it with a gloved hand.

"Axel…" Sora whispers, reminding Saix that he is still there.

Whirling around, Saix glares at him through teary eyes, trying to look enraged but only looking helpless and pitiful. "You…"

Sora backs away hesitantly, Keyblade flashing into his hand as he steps away from Saix. "Umm...yes?"

"What are you doing still standing there!?" Saix snarls as he wipes away the tears angrily. "He opened a damn portal for you. Now are you going to go or what?"

"Ermm...you sure that's okay. I mean, its taking me to the Organization's base or whatever…"

"Just go! Leave me be!"

Sora nods and dashes into the portal. The last thing he hears before he slips through is a loud howl of utter despair.

Saix screams, raging to himself in the now empty corridor. His eyes flash golden as he loses himself into his berserk mode. It is a pity that Axel took out all the dusks here, leaving him nothing but himself to let out his rage on. After all, physical pain numbs the ones deep within him. He hated Sora. He hated Roxas. He hated the darkness. He hated the emptiness. And most of all, he hated himself.

Scream after scream, curse after curse, Saix rages around the corridor, smashing the walls and stabbing the floor. Eventually, his furious rage passes, leaving only the despair that he has tried to lock away. He gasps for breath, falling to his hands and knees. This time is not like the ones before. The despair hasn't gone away. It's still there.

It won't leave.

"Axel...Lea...why did you have to leave…why did you have to leave me?" Saix pants softly with a hissed rasp "Axel...Idiot...Axel, you're a fucking idiot!"

His words become no more than choked gasps. It's useless. He knows that. It is all hopeless. This shouting and cursing, it won't bring Axel..Lea back. It won't. Saix gasps and with a shocked breath, collapses into broken sobs once more as his mind races.

Could he have saved his friend, no, could he have saved his lover? Maybe if he'd come an hour, a minute, a second earlier. Maybe even further, all the way back, all those mistakes he'd made, all those times he'd chosen to ignore everything, all those time he'd fucking. Messed. Up.

He'd messed up. He'd messed up and messed up badly, and Axel- Lea- was the one who'd paid for it. Not him. Fate had chosen the crueler path, and Axel had suffered for it.

Time passes. His sobs have died down, but the tears and pain within his nonexistent heart does not. Saix slowly picks himself up. His blue hair falls in front of his face, stained with tears. Saix gives a crazed laugh.

"How fitting...these hair colours of ours...how it describes us so accurately..."

Saix falls into tears once more.

Deep in the dark corridors, a man picks himself up. His face is scarred and broken. His nonexistent heart is shattered and agonized. Wearily, he lifts his hand and summons a portal.

"One day. One day, Axel will come again. He will. I know it. And I'll wait, no matter how long it takes, whether it's 5 days or 500 years, or for eternity. I'll wait...and this time, I won't mess it up."

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_A/N: More may possibly come later...dunno...maybe I can write about the following days after Axel's death and how Saix copes with it. And then maybe I go Saix's death where he meets with Sora once again...and then getting reborn as Isa and Lea and all that schtuff...XD...you tell me what you think! Please!_

_Reviews and gladly welcomed. Flames too...critiques...anything to give me ideas or help me improve and stuff! SO please review!_

_(Happy Valentine's Day for everyone in a romantic relationship, and Happy Singles Awareness Day for everyone not)_

_((I just realized how terrible of a fanfic this is at a time where Valentine's day is right around the corner…*sweatdrop* Now time for me to go off and actually write something that is more happier...XD))_

_((And by the way...the fanfic is called "Past the Eleventh Hour' because as my editor Byaku says 'The eleventh hour is the last possible time before it is too late for something...So past the eleventh hour would mean that is too late...And then too late to save Axel' XD))_


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